The Denver Post’s John Henderson is visiting each Pac-12 town before Colorado joins the conference next season. Follow his travels here.

PULLMAN, Wash. — I grew up in Oregon, went to Oregon, worked in suburban Seattle for a year and a half and have covered college sports for 20 years. Yet I’d never been to Pullman, Wash.

Many wisened Pac-10 writers, fans and coaches have said that’s like saying I’ve had many great massages but have never experienced waterboarding. So Pullman was never on my bucket list.

But it was an inevitable stop on this Pac-12 Carwriters tour and like Arizona’s shoddy facilities and Dennis Erickson’s verve, Pullman surprised me. Folks, it’s not that bad. Then again, I’m coming from the Big 12, Big Eight and a lot of the SEC. In some regard, in going to Pullman I moved up in class.

The Pac-12 on Thursday announced it will partner with the New Mexico Bowl next season, one year sooner than expected, for a game that will pit the seventh-best team in the Pac-12 against one from the Mountain West.

The Pac-12 had come to an agreement with the New Mexico Bowl for 2012, but after the bowl dropped its WAC tie-in, the new marriage was moved up.

A 6-6 record likely would punch a Pac-12 ticket to Albuquerque. Southern Cal is ineligible for the postseason, leaving 11 teams in the conference to fight for bids. Colorado is coming off a 5-7 record last season, but will join the Pac-12 this year under new coach Jon Embree.

Colorado State, which went 3-9 in 2010 but returns sophomore QB Pete Thomas, won the New Mexico Bowl in 2008 over Fresno State and has a natural, regional draw in New Mexico.

CORVALLIS, Ore. — I asked Oregon State athletic director Bob De Carolis how in the world Oregon State won two national baseball titles. The Beavers’ titles in 2006 and 2007 were the first by a northern school since Ohio State won it in 1966.

A huge boost came in 1999 when the Pac-10 switched from North and South divisions to one conference. Before, Oregon State played in a Mickey Mouse North Division with Washington, Washington State and Portland State.

“Kids who got passed up by the California schools wanted to beat them,” De Carolis said.

Please note: Colorado will be the only school in the Pac-12 not playing baseball.

The Denver Post’s John Henderson is visiting each Pac-12 town before Colorado joins the conference next season. Follow his travels here.

The Denver Post’s John Henderson is visiting each Pac-12 town before Colorado joins the conference next season. Follow his travels here.

CORVALLIS, Ore. — I came to Oregon State’s campus for the first time since my junior year at the Oregon Daily Emerald in 1976 when I covered coach Don Read’s last game at Oregon. Back then, both Oregon State and Oregon had facilities that weren’t much better than my South Eugene High. That’s because my high school played at Oregon’s Autzen Stadium.

And our crowds sometimes rivaled Oregon’s.

Well, you know what has happened since. Oregon alum Phil Knight opened his pocket for Oregon and built arguably the best facilities in college football. The end result was last season’s national runnerup finish.

The Denver Post’s John Henderson is visiting each Pac-12 town before Colorado joins the conference next season. Follow his travels here.

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. — It was a miserable, drizzly day Monday here in the Bay Area, but Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott was still in his office basking in the sun. His national TV deal surpassed revenue projections and he has his inaugural Pac-12 Championship football game set for this year.

His next goal might be more difficult. He wants to increase the amount of an athlete’s scholarship so they have a little more at the end of the month. It’s not a knee-jerk reaction to the disastrous fire sale Ohio State players held which got Jim Tressel fired.

Instead, he told me in his office, “It’s an issue of principle for me.”

I’m hearing from a number of sources that the Mountain West/BYU impasse could be resolved as soon as Thursday with all indications that the Cougars will remain in the MWC.

The Provo, Utah, church-owned school doesn’t have many alternatives since the Mountain West pulled the table from under the Western Athletic Conference by raiding Fresno State and Nevada. BYU was contemplating going to the WAC in all sports except football and becoming an independent in football but playing a handful of WAC opponents.

BYU has made no secret it wants greater freedom to broadcast its games over its long-time network BYU-TV. Unlike the proposed University of Texas network, BYU-TV isn’t a cash cow but a vehicle for spreading the Mormon faith.

I wish I had some of whatever is in the Kool-Aid that BYU folks are drinking.

For any number of reasons, it appears the powers-that-be in Provo are hallucinating thoughts of grandeur. Sure, athletic director Tom Holmoe has gone on record saying he knows his school isn’t Notre Dame. He’s not walking the talk.

Where will BYU make up the loss of revenue from the Mountain West? That was Utah and TCU who brought in BCS bowl paychecks days, not BYU.

It may boil down to a snit fit over rival Utah getting all the attention for its flight to the Pac-10.

According to Kyle Ringo of the Boulder Daily Camera, Colorado would play a nonconference football game at Ohio State in 2011 — If CU is able to begin a Pac-10 Conference schedule next year.

I asked CU associate athletic director David Plati and he would neither confirm nor deny Ringo’s report. Plati has scheduling responsibilities in addition to being the school’s sports info director.

Plati’s vague response probably means a game in Columbus is at least a possibility.

Said Plati: “Nothing is set in stone. We’ve discussed several options and have talked with more than one school. A few dominoes need to fall yet. Plus, we need to know if we’re in the Pac-10 (in 2011 instead of 2012) and have a nine-game conference schedule. And (even) if we’re still in the Big 12 in 2011, we have to replace the Nebraska game in Boulder since they’ll be in the Big Ten.”

As it stands now, Colorado is scheduled to host California as a non-conference opponent in 2011. Cal, obviously, is a member of the Pac-10. So, if CU were to be in that league next year the Buffs would need to find another opponent for the non-conference portion of the schedule — if the Pac-10 votes for an eight-game conference slate.

Ohio State’s 2011 nonconference schedule has home games against Akron and Toledo and a road game at Miami (Fla.), so the Buckeyes would need to add a game, assuming Big Ten members have eight conference games in the expanded 12-team Big Ten beginning next year.

While this week’s Sports Illustrated college football preview issue has Colorado finishing only ahead of Iowa State in the Big 12 North standings, I think the Buffs have a real chance to do better.

My reasoning: Colorado’s roster finally includes experienced players at every position except punter. And for the first time in Hawkins’ tenure, the Buffs’ offense has more speed and potential game-breakers at wide receiver. They can stretch the field and should open up everything, including underneath passes to Scotty McKnight, more holes for tailback Rodney Stewart, crossing patterns by tight end Ryan Deehan, even some scrambling lanes for quarterback Tyler Hansen.

I believe the Buffs have a legitimate shot at going 6-6, maybe even 7-5. But it won’t be easy. The schedule is tougher this year. In the nonconference portion of the slate, basically last year’s game at Toledo has been traded for this year’s Sept. 11 game at the Cal Bears. (I’d think ’09 Wyoming for ’10 Hawaii, and ’09 West Virginia for ’10 Georgia are about a push).

Last year, the conference schedule set up nicely for the Buffs, and they did not take advantage. This year, the best Big 12 North foes (Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska) are on the road.

Here’s what has to happen for Colorado to reach 6-6: There are seven games on CU’s schedule in the state of Colorado. That’s six home games (Hawaii, Georgia, Baylor, Texas Tech, Iowa State, Kansas State) and the Sept. 4 opener against Colorado State at Invesco Field at Mile High in Denver. CU needs to win at least six of those seven games, with Georgia likely being the toughest challenge.

That would ensure at least 6-6. A slip up against Baylor or Texas Tech means CU must win at Kansas, which probably is the Buffs’ only winable conference road game.

A 6-6 record in the Big 12 usually results in a bowl invitation. It’s doable.

Then again, buyer beware. I thought the Buffs would get eight victories in 2009 and they won three.

Sports Illustrated’s Big 12 “coach on the hot seat” is CU’s Dan Hawkins. That’s no surprise. Hawkins has been the unanimous pick for that category in every preseason publication I’ve seen.

Wrote S.I.: “The buyout ($3 million) was too much for the athletic department to fire Hawkins after a fourth straight losing season. A fifth straight could get him the ax.”

My guess is Colorado needs to at least go 6-6 and maybe win the bowl game — in other words, show vast improvement — or another coach likely will lead CU into the Pac-10.

For the first time, the senior transfer from Southern Cal was able to participate in a practice knowing that he had been fully cleared to play his final college season as a Buffalo.

A 10.4 100-meter sprinter in high school, Patterson undoubtedly becomes the fastest player on the squad. Although he couldn’t don full pads Tuesday along with other players, Patterson showed that burst during several receiving and returning drills.

“This was great,” Patterson said following the 2-hour workout. “It’s been frustrating the last few days. I wasn’t able to be out here with my team, and that’s kind of frustrating. But I’m finally cleared. I’m ready to roll. I had faith that I was good.”

Patterson, 5-feet-9 and 175 pounds, was eligible to transfer from Southern Cal to another major-college program without having to sit out a transfer year because USC faces NCAA sanctions that include a bowl game.

Patterson arrived in Boulder in late July. But he sat out the first four practices because Colorado had to wait on approval of Patterson’s transfer by Pac-10 schools, now that CU is already considered a member of that conference although the Buffs will not begin a Pac-10 schedule until 2011 or 2012.

Stuck on the Trojans depth chart behind bluechippers, Patterson caught just 10 passes in three seasons at USC. “I can’t look back at that; I have to look forward,” Patterson said.

“I need to get in (football) shape,” he added. “Once I get in shape, as I get more familiar with the offense and get my technique, I’ll be alright.”

Newcomers: Nick Hirschman, a 6-foot-3, 230-pound true freshman from Los Gatos, Calif., also was courted by Pac-10 schools and was considered one of the plums of CU’s 2010 recruiting class. Justin Gorman (6-0, 200) is a walk-on from Manhelm, Pa.

Biggest losses: Seth Lobato of Eaton showed some athleticism and potential last year as a recruited freshman working with the scout team. But he transferred to Northern Colorado.

Strengths: With senior Cody Hawkins and junior Tyler Hansen, Colorado may have as much experience at this position as any team in the Big 12 Conference. Hawkins, the fulltime starter in 2007 as a redshirt freshman, ranks first in CU history in TD passes (46) and is third in career passing yards (5,862), behind Kordell Stewart and Joel Klatt. Hansen took the job away from Hawkins during each of the past two seasons.

Weaknesses: Hansen started the last seven games of 2009 but hasn’t yet been named this year’s starter, although most observers expect that to happen a week or so before the Sept. 4 season opener against CSU. The Buffs roster lists only three scholarship quarterbacks, a small number for a major-college program.

What to look for: It will be a surprise if Hansen, who is more athletic and has a stronger arm, does not open the season as a starter. It also will be a surprise if Cody Hawkins, who literally grew up with the system, doesn’t get some snaps.

Colorado was a solid member of the Big 12 Conference when junior-college linebacker Evan Harrington signed with the Buffs last winter. By the time Harrington arrived on campus CU was a future member of the Pac-10.

A junior, Harrington has fingers crossed that Colorado will begin competing in the Pac-10 in 2011, when he will be a senior. Harrington grew up in suburban Washington, D.C., but played two years of junior-college ball in Southern California.

“I’m looking forward to being in the Pac-10 because all my friends back there were telling me how the Pac-10 is better than the Big 12,” Harrington said with a grin. “It will be exciting to play against some of them.”

IRVING, Texas — A big reason why Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe hopes he can help Colorado move into the Pac-10 next year is an 11-team schedule is very difficult to organize. Would there be two divisions? If one big league, should they play a 10-game round robin? Will there be an odd team out in basketball?

“We’ve looked at it, but it’s not what anybody would want,” Beebe said. “All the planning for it is to be an ’11 departure.”

Dave Plati, Colorado’s associate athletic director who’s in charge of scheduling, said the only reason Colorado gave the Big 12 a two-year notice was it was the first domino to fall. Then Nebraska bolted to the Big Ten for 2011 and Utah joined the Pac-10, also for 2011.

One question Colorado has is Utah’s agreement to not accept revenue the first year in the new league.

IRVING, Texas — While Dan Hawkins is from California, he didn’t grow up a Pac-8 fan, as the Pac-10 was known until 1978. He grew up in California in name only. He was born in Fall River Mills (pop. 648) and raised in Bieber (pop. 579) in northeast California near the Nevada-Oregon border.

He went to college at Cal-Davis.

“I was really up in the sticks,” he said. “We grew up in the era of three TV stations and PBS. The Game of the Week might be Oklahoma-Nebraska. It wasn’t always Pac-(8). Even though I was in California I was probably seven hours from Eugene and close to that to Cal. I didn’t go to a lot of Pac-(8) games.”

The trio thought that was a bit odd, considering that each is a senior and will have completed their eligibility before CU begins a Pac-10 schedule, likely next fall.

But they played along with the questioning.

“One of the reasons I decided to go away to college was to experience new things,” McKnight said. “I got that. I got to play in states like Texas and Oklahoma and Kansas and Nebraska — places where college football is everything to those people.

“So going to places I’d never seen before and learning about new teams and new traditions and cultures, that was a great growing experience for me.

“And then when I’m done with college, all my boys back home went to Pac-10 schools, so we can all root against each other and have fun with that. It’s perfect for me.”

Brown, a native of Phoenix, said playing in the Big 12 has been “amazing.”

“It was great to play against teams like Oklahoma, Nebraska, Texas,” Brown said. “You hear about big-time football programs and those were the ones I was playing against.

“But like with Scotty, the move to the Pac-10 will make it easier for me to see the Buffs play after I’m out of college, me being from Arizona. It’s great.”